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August 11, 2010 - On August 3rd
Simmons Bedding Company
informed BEDROOM Magazine that
the company has been granted a
United States patent for its
Transflexion™ Comfort
Technology. So what is this
Transflexion Comfort Technology?
Well according to recently
appointed Simmons CEO Gary
Fazio, “Transflexion is the
latest addition to the long line
of groundbreaking product
innovations that Simmons has
brought to market including
Beautyrest® Pocketed Coil®
technology, king and queen size
mattresses and No Flip design.
Our research and development
team constantly strives for
Simmons to maintain its position
as the leading innovator in the
bedding industry, and the
success we’ve attained is the
direct result of their
creativity and expertise.”
According to Simmons marketing
sources, Transflexion is an
innovative foam “break in”
process that is designed to
ensure a mattress feels the same
at home as it does on the retail
floor. Offering both consumer
and retailer benefits, Simmons’
Transflexion process
demonstrates the company’s
ongoing drive for consumer
satisfaction as well as the
desire to minimize bedding
returns, which is a costly
problem that plagues many
retailers.
As a direct result of the
company’s success with
Transflexion Comfort Technology,
Simmons will be attaching a
20-year limited warranty to the
new 2010 Beautyrest Black®
collection, which is being
introduced at this week’s Las
Vegas Furniture Market. “Returns
have become a major issue in the
bedding industry. However,
Transflexion Comfort Technology
can help reduce the number of
returns that retailers
encounter,” said Mark Owen,
Simmons’ vice president of brand
management. “We’ve conducted
extensive third party testing of
the new Beautyrest Black line
and found that the addition of
Transflexion technology has
significantly enhanced its
durability. That, coupled with
the reduction in returns we have
seen with the current Beautyrest
Black line, makes us confident
the collection is worthy of a
20-year limited warranty. We
would not attach a longer
warranty without this proof.”
The development of Transflexion
Comfort Technology began
approximately two years ago,
when researchers at Simmons
created the process of
pre-stressing polyurethane foam
layers before they were used in
mattress production to achieve
enhanced comfort and increased
durability. In the Transflexion
process, large sections of
polyurethane foam are subjected
to high pressure. This forces
tiny windows inside the foam
cells to pop open and release
trapped gas from inside and
throughout the foam. With
traditional polyurethane foams,
the gases stay trapped inside
the foam cells until they are
gradually released through
repeated use of the bed. Because
the trapped gases create a false
firmness in the foam, a newly
delivered mattress with
traditional foams does not feel
as soft as a retail sample of
the same model that has been
tested by numerous mattress
shoppers. Consequently, this
issue has resulted in a
significant number of comfort
returns by consumers. Rather
than relying on educating every
consumer on the nature of foam
mattress padding prior to
product purchase, Simmons is
using the Transflexion process
to address the underlying cause
of this problem.
Because the Transflexion process
pre-conditions a bed’s foam
layers, the technology removes
false firmness from a mattress,
ensuring a consistent feel from
the store to home and throughout
the life of the mattress. For
retailers, greater customer
satisfaction means fewer costly
product returns as well as
improved sales associate
confidence since there is no
need to explain that consumers
should expect a “break in
period” when the mattress is
delivered.
A key part of the company’s
proactive research and
development strategy,
Transflexion Comfort Technology
helps Simmons supply consumers
with the utmost in value and
satisfaction. Simmons’
dedication to creating the
technology demonstrates the
company’s continued investment
in industry-leading innovations
and patented product
advancements, an effort that
dates back to its founding in
1870.
Transflexion Comfort Technology
is currently available in
Simmons’ Beautyrest Black
collection and Beautyrest World
Class® models. It is also
featured in the new ComforPedic®
line debuting at this week’s Las
Vegas Furniture Market. As the
company realizes economies of
scale, Simmons eventually plans
to incorporate the process
throughout its product
portfolio.
Simmons has no plans to license
Transflexion technology in
mattress production other than
to its existing licensees.
However, the company intends to
make it available to other
industries that use foam padding
such as home furnishings and
bedding accessories.
About Simmons Bedding Company
Atlanta-based Simmons Bedding
Company is one of the world's
largest mattress manufacturers,
manufacturing and marketing a
broad range of products
including Beautyrest®,
Beautyrest Black®, Beautyrest®
NxG®, Beautyrest Studio™,
BeautySleep®, ComforPedic by
Simmons™, Natural Care® and
Beautyrest Beginnings®. Simmons
Bedding operates 19 conventional
bedding manufacturing facilities
and one juvenile bedding
manufacturing facility across
the United States, Canada and
Puerto Rico. Simmons Bedding
also serves as a key supplier of
beds to many of the world’s
leading hotel groups and resort
properties. Simmons Bedding is
committed to developing superior
mattresses and promoting a
higher quality sleep for
consumers around the world.
For more information, visit
www.simmons.com. |
